| The town is ready for the great event |
| The consecration of the church was announced on the radio and a large crowd gathered at the church at eight in the morning. The mayor was there, as well as the band that woul be singing at the arrival of the archbishop. |
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| The people |
| The church was already full and some people were waiting outside for the archbishop to arrive. |
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| The priests |
About 20 priests were present at the event. Here some of them are waiting at the gate. As with most country churches, there is a cemetery around the church. I believe this is very nice, as it reminds the people that their ancestors worshiped in the same place.
The person waiting with the gospel in his hands is the senor priest of this church. |
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| The archbishop arrives |
Now the archnishop arrives in a carrige, preceded by these horsemen dressed in traditional Romanian costumes.
The buildings around display the Romanian flag, as it is fit for any special day like this. |
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| The archbishop arrives |
| Archbishop Andrei arrives in the carrige. He is much beloved by all the people in our archdiocese. |
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| The priests welcome the archbishop |
They present the gospel and the cross and wait for the archbishop's blessing.
The priest holding the cross is the archpriests from the city of Brasov. You can also see the mayor, the man with the three color band over his vest. |
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| Start of service |
| The consecration service starts at the entrance to the church, with a number of prayers from the archbishop Andrei. |
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| Anointing |
The archbishop uses holy oil to anoint the four sides of the church. For each side, a number of prayers are said.
I absolutely like the orthodox flags which you see in the background. I'm sure they must have a special name, but I do not know what that is. |
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| Into the church |
Now we enter the church, which is absolutely packed.
You can see the iconostasis in the background. This is a special wall separating the altar from the rest of the church, with a large number of icons of Christ, Theotokos, saints, and images from various episodes in the gospel that correspond to the major feasts of the Orthodox Church. |
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| Iconostasis |
| This is a closer picture of the iconostasis. Beyond you see some priests at the altar. |
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